I Can Feel You Breathe
by seVensIns
Summary: What happens after the final fight on Angel. Illyria and Spike are the only ones left and decide to pack it up and head to Rome! Spuffy!
1. Prolouge Waking Up

**I Can Feel You Breath** by **Seven Sins**  
  
PG to PG-13  
  
Prologue - Waking Up  
  
Revised Version Posted: 8.22.04

* * *

"Spike!" Illyria yelled for the third time. She had grown tired of waiting for him to naturally become conscious and had been trying to wake him for fifteen minutes.  
  
"Spike!" she said again.  
  
Nothing.  
  
She glared at his motionless form and mumbled, "Idiotic being."  
  
Deciding there was no other way, and feeling the need to take her anger out on something anyways, she lifted her hand and brought it down quickly, slapping him across the face.  
  
"BLOODY HELL!" Spike's upper body shot up and he looked around wildly.  
  
When he spotted Illyria, he blinked a few times, "What the hell was that for!?" he demanded.  
  
"You've been lying there for hours. I got tired of waiting for you to wake," she explained, cocking her head to the side as she stood up.  
  
"I'm sorry, I was knocked unconscious. I'll never do it again," Spike said coldly. He sniffed and wiped the blood from his nose, "What the hell happened?" he asked, looking around the alleyway. He had expected there to be more blood and body parts.  
  
Illyira shook her head, "I am not certain. It all happened so suddenly. There was a flash and then everything was gone except for what is left," she looked back down at him, "I am not sure how you were changed, either."  
  
Spike nodded and then processed what she said, "What?"  
  
"I said I was not certain!" Illyria started again, obviously irritated, "There was a flash and then..."  
  
"No, not that. I get that!" Spike interrupted, "What do you mean, 'changed back'?"  
  
Illyira looked at him like he was the dumbest thing on the planet, "You don't realize it?" she asked.  
  
"Realize what?"  
  
Illyria just stared at him.  
  
"Bloody hell, what the..." he stopped and slowly looked up at the sky, "SUN!" he screamed, and rushed to stand, and then falling again, "You bitch!...Left me in the sun...I'm burn..." he looked down at his hands, "Not burning..." he looked up at Illyira, "What the fuck..."  
  
"Somehow you've become human again," Illyira said, looking around again, "I was skeptical at first, but then I felt you had a pulse."  
  
Spike stared at her, unable to believe a word she was saying, "Nuh huh," he said.  
  
Illyira looked at him and blinked, "Yes, you do. Feel it."  
  
Spike subconsciously reached up and felt the pulse point on his neck, still staring straight ahead. When he felt the unfamiliar beat in his vein, Illyria feared he was going to pass out again.  
  
"Wh...How?" he asked, moving his hand from his neck to his wrist.  
  
"I told you, I do not know!" Illyria said, exasperated, "There was a flash of light and everything was gone. All that was left was you and Gunn's body," she turned to look at the bloody, motionless body of the former Charles Gunn.  
  
"But...it can't be..." Spike said, switching hands and checking the other wrist.  
  
"If you don't believe me, stop breathing," Illyria said.  
  
Spike obeyed and held his breath. Much to his surprise, after a few seconds, he felt a strange strain in his chest. He let the breath out and gasped for air, "Holy fucking hell..." Spike said between breaths, "No...no, this was Angel's prophecy. How...he signed it over anyway. There's no way..." he looked over his shoulder, "Where is Angel?"  
  
"He's gone," Illyria said, a hint of sadness in her voice, "He was dusted moments before the flash."  
  
In spite of himself, Spike was overwhelmed with sadness at hearing that, "Oh," was all he could say.  
  
They stood in silence for a moment, "But...I'm...human?" Spike tried.  
  
"It seems that way," Illyria confirmed.  
  
Spike stared down at his hands, turning them over, and staring at the veins. He tried to imagine what blood flowing through them would look like. After all those years of just creeping along uselessly.  
  
Somehow, he found himself chuckling. He glanced up at the sun, then around the alley, his chuckling turning into laughter.  
  
Illyria sighed with impatience, "What do you propose we do now, stupid mortal?" she asked.  
  
Spike's laughing stopped and he glared at her, "You really know how to ruin a moment, you know that?"

* * *

**A/N - So this is my almost plot-less, PG-13, fluffy spuffy fic. We all need one right? Anyways, short, but most prologues are. I'll try to update ASAP. Thanks for reading, and don't forget to review!**  
  
_seVensIns_


	2. Planes and Burials

  
  
**Author's Note** - Bad me forgot the disclaimer and all on the last chapter. (Sorry, I was rushed!) So here goes!  
  
**Disclaimer** - You should know what's mine and what belongs to Joss, the WB ect. Title's based on Faith Hill's song, "I Can Feel You Breath," and if lyrics are ever used, know they belong to her and anyone else related with the production of her CDs.  
  
** I Can Feel You Breath **by **Seven Sins  
**  
PG to PG-13  
  
Chapter 1 - Planes and Burials  
  
Posted: 7.26.04

* * *

Spike stood over the freshly dug ground. His hands were shoved into the pockets of his jeans as he stared down at the pile of earth. The sun was blazing, and he could feel his skin burning. It was funny no matter what you were, the sun still reeked havoc on your body. He was finding the "out in the daytime" thing wasn't as enjoyable as everyone said, or as he remembered. Christ, he had to wear sunglasses! Which were annoying as hell...  
  
Illyria had chosen to stay in the car. They had managed to find a couple of Angel's cars that had not been destroyed when the building fell. They had fought over it for awhile, but eventually settled for the Camaro. Spike shook his head, why the hell had Angel needed all those cars?  
  
He had been trying not to think about Angel much. As much as he hated it, some part of him was torn up inside that he was gone. Somehow, it felt like losing a brother. You were could hate him as much as you wanted, but deep down you were obligated to love him.   
  
Spike sighed and shook his head, staring down at Gunn's grave. It had only taken them a day to have everything set up for a 'funeral' of sorts for both Gunn and Wesley. Neither Spike or Illyria knew of any relatives and even if they would have, they didn't know how to contact anyone. So they had skipped the big funeral home part and just had them buried. Spike doubted either would care.  
  
Spike stood in silence for a few moments. Even without the vampire senses, he was still able to sense the presence behind him. He whipped around, and at once wished he hadn't. It was one of the last people he ever wanted to see again.  
  
"What the hell do you want?" he asked, turning back around.  
  
"I got word from some of my sources about what was going on," Giles said, walking up next to him, "I got here as soon as I could."  
  
Spike looked over at him, "Like hell you did. And what, you came alone? What were you going to do? Kill them all with your mad Watcher skills? Honestly, Price is dead. What the hell did you think just you could do?"  
  
Spike didn't want to sound so rude, but he had never forgiven him for not helping with Fred. Even if nothing could have been done, he could have at least contacted Willow for Angel. Wolfram and Hart or not, she would have helped. She wasn't the type of person to assume things and hold pointless grudges for no reason.  
  
Giles sighed and took off his glasses, wiping them on his shirt, "Honestly, Spike. If I'd have known sooner..."   
  
Spike scoffed, "You knew. You just wouldn't come because of Wolfram and Hart. And put your glasses back on. Do you have any idea how damn annoying that is?"  
  
Giles slid his glasses back up his nose and stared at Spike, "You know, I'm not looking forward to having to see you in daylight now as well."  
  
"The feeling's mutual, don't worry," Spike said.  
  
They said nothing for a minute or two and then Giles asked the question that had been plaguing him since he saw Spike, "How'd you..."   
  
Spike shook his head, "No idea. Miss Demon Queen keeps going on and on about a 'flash' of some sort," he gestured to the parking lot where Illyria was, "But I don't know what she's talking about. The last thing I remember is almost getting decapitated by some green thing in armor."  
  
Giles nodded, then they returned to not speaking.  
  
"You know, black attracts the sun," Giles said finally, "You might want to reconsider wearing it all the time."  
  
Spike shrugged, "I don't have any other clothes," he said, just realizing it for himself. He'd been dressing in black for over a hundred years. It was natural now.  
  
Giles chuckled, and as hard as he tried not to, Spike smiled.  
  
"I assume you're on your way to Rome, then?" Giles asked.  
  
Spike bit his lip and nodded, "That's the plan," he paused, "Where're you headed?"  
  
Giles shrugged, "Back to London, most likely. I'll be visiting Rome in a few weeks though."  
  
Spike nodded.  
  
"She's seeing someone, you know," Giles said, somewhat reluctantly.  
  
Spike nodded again, "The Immortal? Yeah, I know," he paused, "Now that I think about it, its going to a lot more difficult to kill him without the vamp accessories..."  
  
"You're going to kill him?" Giles asked.  
  
Spike looked over at him, "Well, yeah," he said.  
  
Giles opened his mouth to speak and then decided better of it.  
  
He shook his head and sighed, "It's no use. There's no reasoning with you or Buffy. Once you have your mind set on something..." he trailed off.  
  
Spike nodded, and looked back down at the ground.  
  
They stood there, staring down at the dirt for almost five minutes when Giles finally said, "I'd best get going then."  
  
Spike nodded as he started to walk away. Giles had gone about six paces when he stopped and turned back around. He stared at the blonde ex-vamp for a moment before calling him, "Spike," he started.  
  
Spike turned around.  
  
Giles hesitated, "Good luck," he said finally, before turning and continuing his walk to the parking lot.  
  
Spike grinned and turned back around, "Rupert, Rupert," he muttered, "Such a watcher..."  
  
-----  
  
Illyria sat stiffly in the airplane seat, "I can't believe I'm degrading myself to this level," she said.  
  
Spike rolled his eyes, "For God sake's Illyria, its just coach on a commercial aircraft. It's all we could afford, and anyways, it isn't _that_ bad."  
  
Illyria narrowed her eyes, "Not to your kind. First human, then vampire, then back to a mortal. You are used to sitting in mud and feces!" she shifted in her seat and hit her elbow off the armrest, "And besides, that is not what I'm referring to. I'm referring to the fact that I must go around looking like Winifred Burkle at all times now. Why did you demand I change form?"  
  
"Because normal people do not have blue skin and hair and dress like Anime characters," Spike shot, "Now shut your bloody mouth, you're attracting attention."  
  
Illyria closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the seat, "When are we going to start moving?" she asked.  
  
Spike shrugged, "Like hell if I know. I haven't heard anything that anyone has said, thanks to you."  
  
Illyria's face contorted into a look of pain, "Before, I could have teleported to any location I wished at will," she opened her eyes, "That was before I associated myself with your species. They ripped the power from me and left me in this useless carcass."  
  
Spike growled in frustration, "No one's keeping you here, you know! You could have left! You didn't have to come with me!" he practically screamed.  
  
Illyria cocked her head to the side, "Nonsense, its imperative that I travel with you. Otherwise, you would have changed your mind by now and never gone to find her. Now shut your bloody mouth, you're attracting attention," she mocked.  
  
Spike looked over at her and blinked a few times, searching for words. The best he could come up with was, "That's not true."  
  
"Yes, it is," Illyria corrected, "If not for me, we would have never made it to the ticket counter."  
  
Spike opened his mouth, and then closed it again. He glared at her, and then faced forward in his seat, "Bitch," he muttered.  
  
Illyria ignored him and leaned her head back against the seat again, just as the plane started down the runway.  
  
-----  
  
The two of them sat in a rental car, staring at the building in front of them.  
  
"Why do we continue to sit here?" Illyria asked.  
  
"Because!" Spike yelled, "I'm a pussy little nancy-boy and I don't have the balls to just go up and knock on her door!"   
  
Illyria sighed, "I'm not disagreeing," she said simply.  
  
"Shut. Your. Mouth." Spike ordered as he closed his eyes and started hitting the back of his head off the headrest on his seat.  
  
Illyria stared at him, "Does that type of behavior help you?" she asked.  
  
Spike took a deep breath and glared at her, "As a matter of fact, IT DOES!" he said, before continuing to beat his head.  
  
He continued this for a few moments before he stopped and looked over at her again, "And did you honestly have to make such a fuss when the flight attendant offered you food?" he asked.  
  
"Yes," Illyria said, "she offered absolutely nothing suitable for this type of body to ingest. Its disgraceful what they feed you on those...things," she rested a hand on her stomach as it growled.  
  
"Whatever," Spike said, "It's a plane, and that's what humans eat, Demon Queen Bitch," he laid a hand on the steering wheel and tipped his head to look up at the whole building.  
  
"No wonder you have such short life-spans," she said, "and whether you are or not, I'm exiting this disgusting vehicle to get some air. The smells in here are horrible, and I've grown tired of listening to you act like a child."  
  
She was out of the car before Spike could stop her, and had already made her way to the sidewalk before he had even shut the driver's side door.  
  
"What the _fuck _do you think you're doing?! What if someone sees us?" he rushed up to her and grabbed her arm, dragging her back toward the Mini, "Andrew could be out! Even worse, Buffy!" he began pulling her to the car with all the strength in him, which posed to be difficult seeing as all the extra muscle power was gone, and she was still strong as hell, "Can you imagine what would happen if one of them spot..."   
  
"Spike?!"   
  
There was an excited cry behind him and he froze, "Oh no," he muttered.  
  
"Spike!" Dawn's voice cried again, this time without question.  
  
Spike turned around just in time to see her set down her grocery bags and come rushing toward him.  
  
"Bloody hell..."

* * *

**A/N** - R&R! I was going to make this longer, but decided just to leave it at that. Updates will be posted ASAP! Thanks for reading! 

P.S. - If you you need to contact me, my e-mail is xkissxmexgoodnitex at Yahoo. My blog is also 7sins(dot)bravemusings(dot)com , if you're bored! Take out the '(dot)' and replace it with an actual '.' FF. net won't let me show you any other way! Poo on them...Anyways! Don't forget to review ;-)  
  
_seVensIns _


	3. Revenge on Andrew

Disclaimer - See the last chapter if you really care that much!  
  
**I Can Feel You Breathe** by** Seven Sins**

PG to PG-13  
  
Chapter 2 - Revenge on Andrew  
  
Posted: 7.28.04

* * *

Spike almost fell over when Dawn jumped on him, throwing her arms around his neck.  
  
"I knew Andrew wasn't insane!" she said.  
  
Spike hugged her back, looking over at Illyria, his eyes filled with hate.  
  
When Dawn finally let go, she stood in front of him, her eyes brimming with tears, "When he was under that truth spell, he was rambling on and on about you, and Buffy and Williow just thought it had worked wrong! But I knew that he was telling the truth. There was no way I could have messed up the ingredients!" she was talking fast without breathing and Spike was afraid she was going to start turning blue if he didn't stop her.  
  
"Bit," he paused, not sure what to say. She didn't seemed very shocked to see him, which was strange.  
  
"What the hell are you talking about?" he asked calmly, setting his hands on her shoulders.  
  
Dawn abruptly stopped talking and took a deep breath. Then she stared at him for a minute, before her expression changed to anger, "I'm going to kill him!" she said suddenly, pulling away from Spike and heading back towards the apartment building.  
  
Spike blinked a few times before he rushed after her, Illyria following nonchalantly behind him.  
  
He grabbed Dawn and spun her around, "What?! Kill who?" he demanded.  
  
She pulled away and walked back over to her grocery bags, "Andrew," she said as she picked them up, "Afterwards, I asked him if the stuff he said was true and he said no," her voice was full of rage, "He made me look like an idiot!" she reached into the bag and pulled out some celery sticks, "And now I'm going to beat him to death with these!"   
  
Before Spike could stop her, she threw open the doors for lobby and stormed up some stairs.  
  
Spike finally caught her arm and spun her back around, "Dawn!" he yelled, "Calm the hell down! We'll both deal with Andrew later," he said, "But first," his voice quieted, "Where's your sister?"  
  
Dawn shrugged, "She's probably still at work," she said, sticking the celery sticks back in the bag, "But she'll be home in an hour."  
  
Spike cringed. An hour. For some reason, that amount of time seemed like forever.  
  
Dawn sensed this and continued, "But if you want to kill time, Andrew's upstairs. We can start torturing him now."  
  
Spike considered this for a moment, and then shrugged, "Yeah, okay."  
  
Dawn's face broke into a huge smile as she continued walking up the stairs.  
  
"C'mon, Illyira," Spike called over his shoulder.  
  
Illyria pulled away from the houseplant she had been feeling just inside the door, and reluctantly followed after Spike.  
  
"Whose that?" Dawn asked over her shoulder.  
  
"That," Spike said, gesturing over his shoulder, "Used to be Winifred Burkle. She worked for Angel."  
  
"Hm," Dawn said as she pushed open the door for their floor, "Who is she now?"  
  
"Now she's Illyria. Ex-Demon God who still hasn't gotten over the fact that humans are now the dominant race on this planet," Spike answered, following her.  
  
"Ah, I see," Dawn walked down the hall to their door, "What, did she possess her or something?"  
  
Spike shrugged, "Something like that. Its a long story," he leaned on the doorframe as Dawn struggled to fit her key into the lock.  
  
Illyria had become deeply engrossed with another houseplant, and was ignoring the conversation going on about her.  
  
Dawn finally fit her key in with a triumphant, 'aha!' and pushed it open. She stepped inside as the door swung back and hit the wall with a loud 'bang'.  
  
"Let's go, Your Highness," Spike called to Illyria as he stepped into the apartment.  
  
Illyria followed after him, glaring, "You mock me, mortal," she said.  
  
"Mhm," Spike said, not hearing her. He was busy staring around at the apartment. It hadn't changed much since he last saw it, except for the basket of laundry sitting next to the couch and the stack of magazines on the end table.  
  
Dawn, who had just set the grocery bags down on the floor, turned around and looked at Illyria questioningly, "Wait," she said, looking back over at Spike, "Spike's not mortal," she said, "He hasn't been for a couple hundred years. What are you..."  
  
And then a look of realization passed over her face, "How'd you get in here without an invitation?" she asked, pointing to the door.  
  
Spike took a deep breath, "Yeah, um..." he started, "Well first of all, I've been here befo..."   
  
"Dawnie!" Andrew called, rounding the corner of the hallway with a dishtowel in his hand, and his fists on his hips, "You are late, missy!" he scolded, "And you slammed the door off the wall again! I swear, one day I'm going to video tape you coming home so Buffy will stop bla-" He froze when he spotted Spike.  
  
"Spike!" he said, "How good to see you old friend!" he stepped forward and hugged him.   
  
Spike's entire body stiffened and a look of utter discomfort crossed his face.  
  
When Andrew pulled back, he spotted Illyria and nodded toward her, "And I see you've brought that lab woman from Wolfram and Hart! What's you name again? Freita?"  
  
Illyria scowled, "The former owner of this body was named Winifred Burkle, and I am not her," she looked over at Spike, "May I change form now, disgusting human, since we are no longer in public?"  
  
"Whatever," Spike sighed.  
  
Illyria closed her eyes, and her body slowly began to change back, from her feet up. When she finished, Andrew and Dawn both stared in awe.  
  
"Holy shit!" Dawn exclaimed, pointing to her, "Its a human sized Smurf!"  
  
"Yeah, yeah, she's amazing," Spike said sarcastically, "Now, Bit, as I was saying..."  
  
"Wait," Andrew interrupted again. Spike a deep breath and glared at him, "Spike's not human Smurf woman. He's a 'vampyre'!" he said.  
  
"No, I'm not," Spike said, shoving Andrew down on the couch, "And if you'll all stop interrupting me, I'll explain," he looked over at Dawn, "Sit," he commanded.  
  
Dawn nodded and sat down in the chair next to the couch.  
  
"What do you mean, you're not a vampire?" Andrew asked.  
  
"Shut your yap, and I'll tell you what I mean," Spike said.  
  
"Now, first off," he started, "Dawn, I didn't need an invitation, because I've been here before. Though at this point, it wouldn't've mattered either way, because I," he pointed to himself, "Am not a vampire anymore. Turned out the shanshu wasn't for Peaches," he said, proudly.  
  
They were all silent for a moment.  
  
"How? When?" Dawn asked.  
  
"I don't know, and about 24 hours ago," Spike answered.  
  
"There was a flash of light and everything changed," Illyria said, crossing the room and looking out the window at the city below.  
  
Spike rolled his eyes, "According to her, there was some kind of flash," Spike made finger quotes in the air, "But I don't remember it."  
  
"Wow," Andrew said, "Human, vampire, and human again," he stared down at the ground and tapped his finger on the arm of the couch thoughtfully, "You know, you should write a movie about your life," he said, "It'd be so cool!" the excitement was growing in his voice, "All your adventures and love affairs! I bet we'd even outsell Harry Potter!"  
  
Spike looked at him the way you would look at a child that isn't making sense, "Shut up," he said, "You're already in enough trouble."  
  
"Yeah," Dawn said suddenly, whirling around to face Andrew, "You lied and made me look like a moron!"  
  
Andrew huddled into the corner of the couch as Dawn sprang up and started beating him with a pillow.  
  
"He told me not to say anything! Ouch! He said he'd, OW, kill me! Spike help!" Andrew yelled.  
  
Spike grabbed the pillow from Dawn, "Give me that!" he said, glaring at her.   
  
Dawn glared back at him, and they stayed like that for a second or two. Just as Andrew was about to sigh in relief, Spike lifted the pillow and continued what Dawn had started.  
  
"Stupid wanker! Told you to keep your big mouth shut!" Spike said between swings.  
  
"It wasn't my fault!" Andrew cried, "Dawn slipped it in my drink!"  
  
Spike stopped, "Is that true?" he asked her.  
  
Dawn nodded.  
  
"Oh," he paused, "Well I'm still going to beat the living hell out of you!"  
  
Andrew screamed and threw himself over the back of the couch, running down the hall for safety.  
  
"Don't you run away from me, pansy!" Spike yelled, running after him.  
  
Illyria and Dawn stared after him.  
  
"It is beyond me how one being can act so idiotic," Illyria said.  
  
Dawn shrugged, "People will do crazy things for love."  
  
Illyria shook her head, "No matter how many times I have different individuals explain it to me, I still do not understand this "love" you all speak of."  
  
Dawn shrugged, "It's kind of one of those things that can't be explained," she said, looking up at the clock.  
  
"Oh hell," she muttered, rushing down the hall in the direction of Andrew's screams.  
  
She turned the corner into the bathroom to find Andrew huddled in the space between the bathtub and the toilet, while Spike hit him mercilessly with the pillow.  
  
"Spike!" she yelled.  
  
Spike stopped abruptly and turned to her, "What?"  
  
"Thank you, young Dawnie, for coming to your senses and rescuing me!" Andrew said.  
  
Dawn looked at him like he was a bug, "I'm not rescuing you," she said, "You deserve everything you get," Andrew's face fell, "But its almost eight," she said, looking back at Spike.  
  
"And?" he asked.  
  
"Buffy gets home around eight."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Yeah. I don't really think you want her to see you for the first time in months after thinking you'd died beating the hell out of Andrew next to the toilet," Dawn said.  
  
Spike nodded, "Yeah, that's uh...probably not the best entrance..."  
  
The three of them stood silently for a moment, both Andrew and Spike catching their breath. Dawn smiled.  
  
"You breath. A lot," she commented.  
  
"Mhm," Spike said, "Its weird, you know. Actually having to do it. Makes things a bit more difficult."  
  
Dawn nodded, "Hm. Do you want to go out into the kitchen or something? I can get you water. Or pop. We don't have any beer though, sorry. But you know, drinking helps when you're all out of breath. Plus, You can tell me about the romantic plan you have for when Buffy walks in the door," she grinned.  
  
Spike raised an eyebrow, "What romantic plan?" he asked.  
  
Dawn's smile fell, "You mean you don't have some kind of cute, romantic thing planned?"  
  
Spike slowly shook his head, "No."  
  
Dawn looked utterly offended, "You just thought you waltz up here, open the door and say, 'Hey Buffy! Guess what! I'm not dead! Let's go boink on the sofa!'"?  
  
Spike considered this and then nodded, "Yeah, that's about it," he admitted.  
  
Dawn rolled her eyes, "You're such a guy," she muttered, turning and walking down the hall to the kitchen.  
  
Spike and Andrew looked between each other, neither one sure what the big deal was. Finally, Spike threw the pillow at him one last time, and followed Dawn down the hall.  
  
Andrew knocked the pillow away and stood up quickly, "Hey, don't think you can just get away with that, mister!" he said, walking after Spike, "You're not a big, bad vampire anymore! I'll bet my revenge!"  
  
Spike whirled around.  
  
"I'm sorry, please don't hurt me!" Andrew apologized, covering his face with his hands.  
  
Spike turned back around and walked into the kitchen. Dawn was standing over the sink, filling a glass with water. She turned around and pushed it into Spike's hands.  
  
"Here, you useless, un-romantic, male," she said sourly.  
  
Spike took a sip, "Thanks, needed that," he said as Illyria walked into the kitchen,   
  
Dawn rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, leaning back against the counter.  
  
"So, Angel know you're here?" she asked.  
  
Spike hesitated, "Angel's dead," he answered.  
  
"Well no duh," Dawn said, "And so were you two days ago, she reached behind her and picked up a pack of gum.  
  
"No," Spike explained, "I mean really dead. As in dust."  
  
"Oh," Dawn said, shoving a piece of gun into her mouth, "I see."  
  
She was about the ask how, when they heard a key in the door. Everyone in the kitchen froze.  
  
Andrew's face lit up, "I have to get the camera! This is an important part of my documentary!" he ran out of the room.  
  
Spike would have yelled after him to stop being a wanker, but at the moment, he was unable to move.  
  
Illyria looked between Dawn and Spike, "I inquire from your expressions that that is the 'Buffy' you've been talking about?" she asked.  
  
Spike nodded wordlessly.  
  
"Dawn! Dawnie, I'm home!" Buffy's voice called.  
  
They heard the door shut and the sound of Buffy walking down the hall toward the kitchen, "Daw--Andrew get that thing out of my face! What're you taping for anyway?" she rounded the corner into the kitchen and stopped short.  
  
She gasped and the keys she had been carrying fell to the floor as her hands flew up to cover her mouth in shock.  
  
"And so starts the next chapter of the 'Buffy' saga," Andrew whispered.  
  
"Shut up, Andrew!" Dawn, Buffy and Spike all yelled in unison.  
  
Andrew cringed, but kept the camera on, turning to catch the expression on Spike's face.  
  
Everything was quite for what seemed like ages, until finally Buffy spoke.  
  
"Spike?"

* * *

**A/N** - Blah...I need to start making my chapters longer. Anyway R&R! It'll get my muse working better! And I'm not working anymore, so I'm willing to Beta anyone in my free time if they need it. My turnaround time will be 24 hours unless I'm on vacation or dying. Just thought I'd put it out there, in case anyone's looking!  
  
_seVensIns_  
  
7sins(dot)bravemusings(dot)com 


	4. Reunions Aren't Always Easy

**Disclaimer **- See Chapter 1..   
  
I Can Feel You Breath by Seven Sins   
  
Chapter 3 - Reunions Aren't Always Easy  
  
Posted: 7.30.04

* * *

"Spike?"  
  
Spike nodded, though he wasn't sure how because he didn't remember telling his body to do it.  
  
Buffy's hand lowered, but her face was still full of shock. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.  
  
"Ah..." Andrew whispered, "A look of utter shock fills the slayer's face as she looks into the eyes of her long, lost lover."  
  
Dawn glared at him, "I swear to _God_ Andrew," she whispered, "If you don't shut up..."  
  
Andrew sighed, "One day, you'll all thank me for recording this."  
  
Illyria, who had grown bored, walked out past them and into the living room.  
  
Dawn pointed after her, "Go talk to her. Record an interview with her or something," she suggested.  
  
Andrew shook his head, "No, that's okay. I'd rather stay here and tape this," he said, obviously not getting the hint.  
  
Dawn rolled her eyes, "Go!" she demanded, pushing him down the hallway.  
  
"Ow!" Andrew cried, "Fine!" he said, walking down the hall with his nose stuck up in the air, "Ingrates."  
  
When Dawn was sure he was in the living room and out of hearing distance, she turned back around.  
  
She looked between Buffy and Spike, who still had accomplished nothing but staring at each other. She shook her head.  
  
"Now might not be the best time for 'I told you so..'s, but..." she began.  
  
"Dawn," Buffy said suddenly, "Go."  
  
Dawn's eyebrows furrowed, "Why?" she asked, crossing her arms.  
  
"Because," Buffy paused, "Just go. Go with Andrew," she pointed down the hall behind her.  
  
Dawn glared at her sister, "No!" she said, "I'm not going anywhere!"  
  
"Dawn!" Spike said, finally looking away from Buffy to look at her, "Go," he said firmly.  
  
Dawn's jaw dropped, and she gaped for a minute. Finally, she closed her mouth again and marched out of the room with her nose in the air, just as Andrew had, "Fine," she muttered, "I don't want to be in here with you guys anyways."  
  
She stopped halfway down the hall and spun around, "Oh, and just so you know, he's human now!" she said, before spinning back around with a satisfied 'hm'.  
  
Once she was gone, Spike turned back the Buffy who now looked like she was going to pass out, "Buffy..." he started.  
  
"Is that true?" she asked, her face paler than he'd ever seen.  
  
Spike bit his lip, and nodded, "Yeah."  
  
"Oh my God," Buffy squeaked, covering her mouth again.  
  
Spike had expected her to beat the crap out of him and then flood him with questions, but she hadn't done either. Maybe she was still getting over the initial shock of seeing him. Hopefully, because he wasn't really thrilled about getting the shit beaten out of him. He still ached from the alley fight.  
  
But the desire to touch her and be touched _by_ her was burning through him, and if hitting was the best he could get, he'd take it.  
  
Finally, Buffy's hands fell to her side, and she gaped for another minute before saying, "How...No...I...I don't believe you!" she spit out.  
  
That was something Spike hadn't even been remotely prepared for, "What?" he asked.  
  
"Its not possible! How? When?" she asked.  
  
_'And here goes the questions,_' Spike thought.  
  
"Look," he said, reaching his hand out to her, "Just give me your hand if you don't believe me."  
  
Buffy hesitated for a moment, staring at his hand. She looked up at his face again. Spike stuck his hand out further, urging her to take it. Slowly, she reached out and slipped her hand into his, gasping again.   
  
"What?" Spike asked, squeezing her hand a bit harder than he meant to, but unable to control it.  
  
"I thought...maybe you were the First or something," she admitted, "Or a ghost at least."  
  
Spike smiled, "Not a ghost anymore, love," he said, pulling her closer to him.  
  
Buffy looked up at him questioningly.  
  
Spike shook his head, "I'll explain later," he said, "Just feel," he rested her hand on his chest, right above where his heart now beat.  
  
Buffy gasped again, "Oh my God!" she squeaked again, "Is it real?"   
  
Spike chuckled, "Yes its real," he said, "What, did you think I had a pacemaker put in or something?"  
  
Buffy looked up at him for a moment, considering this, and then wriggled the hand he was holding on his chest free and reached for his other. She flipped his wrist over, and set two fingers down on his pulse point.  
  
"Oh honestly, Buffy," Spike sighed, "I was only kidding about the pacemaker."  
  
Buffy waited a moment, and then her eyes widened in shock. She dropped his wrist to cover her mouth again, "Oh my God!"  
  
Spike smiled, "Yeah, kind of shocking isn't it."  
  
Buffy nodded, "How?" she asked.  
  
Spike shrugged, "Not sure, it's buggerin' cool though," he said, "I sneeze and everything!"  
  
Buffy smiled, "Oh my God!" she squealed one last time, before throwing her arms around Spike and pressing their lips together.  
  
Spike was completely unprepared for it, and almost fell backward. When he gained his balance again, he wasted no time to deepen the kiss and wrap his arms around her waist. He urged her backward, towards the wall, knocking over on of the kitchen chairs in the process.  
  
Buffy giggled as he pulled back for air.  
  
"God this breathing thing sucks.." he muttered.  
  
------  
  
Illyria, Dawn, and Andrew all sat in the living room, pretending to focus on a night-time Italian talk show.  
  
When they heard the crashes and giggles from the kitchen, they all looked between each other.  
  
"Well," Andrew said, "Sounds like they're having fun," he paused, "Does anyone mind if I sneak in and document it?"  
  
"No," Dawn said sarcastically, "As long as you don't mind recording a porno," she picked up the remote and changed the channel.  
  
Andrew considered it for a moment, "You know," he said, standing up, "That would attract more viewers of the male gender. I think I'll just take a peek," he spun on his heel and headed back towards the kitchen, video camera in hand.  
  
"What is his name?" Illyria asked, pointing after Andrew.  
  
"Andrew," Dawn answered casually.  
  
"What purpose does he serve?"  
  
Dawn shrugged, "None really. Giles was trying to make him useful, but that didn't turn out so good."  
  
Illyria considered this for a moment and then said, "I feel a strange attraction to him that I can't explain."  
  
Dawn looked over at her like she was crazy, "You are one fucked-up demon god, you know that?"  
  
--Meanwhile, in the kitchen--  
  
Buffy was seated on the table, Spike between her legs, and they were kissing like mad. His hands had found their way up the back of her shirt and their bodies were smashed together, neither one feeling remotely close enough to the other.  
  
Buffy slipped her legs around his waist, trying to pull herself up so her face was level with his.   
  
Suddenly, there was a sharp intake of breath from Spike, and he pulled back.  
  
"What wrong?" Buffy asked, trying not to look pouty.  
  
Spike pushed his duster back some and lifted his shirt up, revealing the top of a huge bruise on the right side of his waist.  
  
"Ouch, how'd that happen?" she asked, gingerly reaching out and touching it.  
  
"Long story," Spike said, pulling his shirt back down.  
  
"You can tell me later," she smiled, pulling him back down for a kiss.  
  
Just as their lips touched though, Buffy's stomach let out a loud rumble.  
  
She smiled, embarrassed.  
  
"Hungry?" Spike asked.  
  
Buffy bit her lip and nodded, "Kinda."  
  
Spike leaned in and buried his face in her hair, "I've got things you could eat," he whispered.  
  
Buffy laughed and pushed him back. Spike leaned his forehead against hers and stuck his bottom lip out.  
  
"C'mon," Buffy said, "We can go out to eat. There's tons of small, secluded, restaurants around. And they all have tons of small, secluded booths."  
  
"Fine," Spike said, sounding exasperated, "But you owe me," he added with a mischievous smile.  
  
Buffy smiled back and pulled him down to kiss him again.  
  
Then they heard Andrew's voice behind them.  
  
"The slayer and the ex vampyre's reunion seems to be a pleasant one so far, but will the fact that Spike has been back for months interfere with this?" he whispered, the camera turned to face him "Let's watch and find out," he turned the camera back around.  
  
Buffy and Spike both glared at him.  
  
"ANDREW!" Spike yelled, rushing forward "I swear to God, when I'm through with you, you'll be beaten to a bloody pulp!!!"  
  
Andrew screamed and ran down the hall, Spike close in pursuit.  
  
Buffy slipped off the table and rushed after them.  
  
Dawn and Illyria, who we're still sitting in the living room, leaned so that they could see down the hall.   
  
"Does Spike torture Andrew often?" Illyria asked.  
  
Dawn nodded, "Everyone does," she said, looking back at the television.  
  
"I see," Illyria said, turning back to the TV too.  
  
Meanwhile, Spike had Andrew cornered in the bathroom again, and was just preparing to beat the hell out of him with a toilet brush, when Buffy grabbed it and ripped it out of his hands.  
  
Andrew sighed in relief, "Thank you, dear Buffy, for rescuing me!" he said.  
  
Buffy glared at him, "I'm not helping you. As far as I'm concerned, you deserve to get the shit beaten out of you. That stupid cameras always in my face. One day I'm going to take it while your sleeping, throw it in a fire, and dance a ritual dance of happiness," Andrew's face fell and he hugged his camera to his chest, "As for you," Buffy continued, turning to Spike, "Is that true?"  
  
"Is what true?" Spike asked.  
  
"Have you really been back for months?"   
  
Spike hesitated, "Look, Buffy, I can explain," he started.  
  
Buffy shook her head, "You've been back for _months_ and you just now bothered to find me?!" she yelled.  
  
Spike opened his mouth to say something, but Buffy held her hands up and stormed out of the room, throwing the toilet brush in the sink along the way.  
  
Andrew bit his lip, "Heh," he said, "Well, she wasn't that mad about it.."  
  
Spike glared at him, "When I'm through talking to her, you are dead!" he said, before running down the hall after Buffy.  
  
He turned into the kitchen to see her standing over the sink, washing a dish.  
  
"You've been back," she started, slamming the wet plate down on the counter, "for months," she said, reaching for another dirty dish, "and you just show up now?"  
  
Dawn curiously stuck her head in. She looked between the two of them, and sensing that a huge brawl was about to break out, she turned back around, trying to sneak the safety of the living room.  
  
"Oh, don't you go anywhere!" Buffy called after her.  
  
Dawn cringed and turned around.  
  
"Yeah?" she asked.  
  
"DRY!" Buffy tossed a dish towel at her and pointed to the plates.  
  
Dawn sighed and walked over to pick one of them up.  
  
"Buffy, listen..." Spike started.  
  
"No!" Buffy said, trying hard to conceal her tears, "You listen," she slammed another plate down on the rapidly growing pile, "You _left_ me," she continued, "I loved you, and I told you, and you just _left_."  
  
"Buffy, that wasn't really my fault..." he tried, but knowing it was hopeless. She wouldn't stop until she'd said all she needed to say.  
  
"But you didn't believe me," she said, openly crying now, "I told you, and you wouldn't believe me."  
  
Andrew was trying to sneak past the kitchen doorway without being noticed, but he too had no such luck.   
  
"And you!" Buffy cried, pointing past Spike to Andrew, realization dawning on her, "You knew too! That's why you wouldn't tell us anything about what happened at Wolfram and Hart!" she yelled.  
  
Andrew bit his lower lip and bounced on his heels, "Well, I..." he started.  
  
"You stood there," Buffy continued, "And you watched me cry when I found your stupid videos and you didn't say anything!"  
  
Andrew nodded, unable to think of anything else to do, "Yeah," he said quietly.  
  
"Buffy," Spike took a step toward her, "It was my fault, I told him not to say anything," he reached out for her, trying to pull her to him, but she stepped back, almost running into Dawn, who was quick to take the current plate she had and rush to the other side of the room.  
  
"For months, I've had to live with the fact that you _died_ not believing me," Buffy said, "For months, I've cried myself to sleep only to dream about you every single night, and wake up crying again! I've gone through every day, thinking you were gone forever, and you were across the ocean, sitting in a cozy office, laughing it up and having a great time with Angel!?"  
  
"Now wait just a second!" Spike yelled back, "First of all, it's bloody impossible to have a good time with Mr. Broody Pants. Second, don't tell me you've been completely lonely! I know about the Immortal!"  
  
Buffy stared at him, her mouth agape in shock, "Don't bring him into this! I find it hard to believe that you haven't helped yourself to a little piece of ass since you've been back!"  
  
"No, I haven't..." Spike stopped, remembering Harmony, "Okay, yes I have. But I didn't enjoy it!"  
  
"Oh!" Buffy said, "Its okay for you to have meaningless sex, but I'm not allowed to attempt a relationship to try to get over the fact that you're _supposedly_ dead and gone?!"  
  
Spike opened his mouth, completely prepared to retort, but realized he didn't have anything to say. He shut his mouth and looked down at the floor, "I just..." he started, "I thought you were happier and better off without me," he said quietly.  
  
Buffy shook her head, "Well guess what, I wasn't," she said, throwing her wash rag down in the sink and walking past him.  
  
Andrew hurried out of her way as she stormed back down the hall.   
  
Spike sighed, "Bloody women," he muttered, turning to go after her.  
  
"Buffy!" he said, catching up to her, "Buffy c'mon, let's talk. We can sort this out," he reached out and grabbed her arm.  
  
But before he could spin her around like he had planned to, she had spun herself around and threw her arms around him," I thought I lost you," she whispered into his chest.  
  
Spike felt her tears seeping through his shirt.  
  
He gently wrapped an arm around her waist and used to other to stroke her hair, "It's okay," he whispered, "Sh...I'm here, pet. It's all right now."  
  
Buffy only held him tighter and continued crying, "Don't ever leave me again," she said.  
  
Spike smiled, "I won't, trust me."  
  
Buffy moved her head to look up at him, "I love you," she whispered.  
  
Spike reached down and brushed the tears off her cheek, "Love you, too," he said back.   
  
Buffy smiled as he bent his head down to kiss her.   
  
When they pulled back, Buffy's stomach gave another loud rumble.   
  
Spike smiled, "Still up for going out?" he asked.  
  
Buffy nodded, "Uh huh," she said.  
  
"Okay then," he reached down for her hand and they walked down the hall together.  
  
"Dawn," Buffy said on their way past, "Will you..."  
  
"Yes," Dawn sighed.  
  
"And..."  
  
"On it..."   
  
Buffy smiled, "Thanks," she said.  
  
"Whatever," she said, crossing her arms and leaning against the wall, but still unable to hide the smile on her face.  
  
They were almost to the door, when Spike stopped and looked over at Illyria.  
  
"Dawn!" he called.  
  
They heard a groan from the kitchen, "_What_?" she asked.  
  
"Make sure Illyria doesn't...kill anything while we're gone," he said.  
  
"_Fine!_ Now go!"  
  
Spike and Buffy smiled at each other. He reached out and pulled the door open, "After you," he said.  
  
Buffy smiled and walked out the door, pulling him along behind her.

* * *

**A/N** - R&R!  
  
_seVensIns_

7sins(dot)bravemusings(dot)com


	5. The Complications of Humans

  
  
Disclaimer - You know what's mine and what's not. And if you don't, you should.  
  
I Can Feel You Breathe by Seven Sins  
  
Chapter 4 - The Complications of Humans  
  
Posted: 8.3.04

* * *

Spike and Buffy were still kissing and giggling as they made their way into the restaurant. Spike leaned in and whispered in her ear, causing Buffy to laugh more as they made their way up to the Hostess booth.  
  
"Buona sera, la tavola per due?" the seating hostess asked.  
  
"Sì," Buffy answer, and Spike leaned in, his face inches from her neck.  
  
"You speak Italian?" he asked, his hand reaching around to brush across her backside.  
  
"Enough to get around," she answered, turning her head and smiling at him.  
  
The hostess smiled polietly and said, "Questa maniera, per favore."  
  
They followed after the hostess, Buffy pulling Spike along behind her.  
  
They reached a booth in a corner with a seat that curved around and wasn't separated. The waitress arranged their menus as they slid in, neither letting go of the other's hands.  
  
"Il suo cameriere avrà ragione con lei," the hostess said.  
  
"Ringraziarlo," Buffy said, smiling at her and reaching for her menu.  
  
"So what do they have good here," Spike said, flipping open the other menu and scanning it, "It's all Italian food!" he said suddenly.  
  
"Yes well, Spike, baby, you're in Italy," Buffy said, rolling her eyes.  
  
Spike slipped an arm around her waist and nipped at her ear, "Yes well, Buffy, love, I'm really in the mood for a burger," he whispered.  
  
Buffy smiled, "They have pasta with meat sauce, that's about as close as you're going to get in this restaurant," she said.  
  
Spike sighed and looked back down at the menu, reaching into his pocket for cigarettes. He stuck one in his mouth and was just about to light it when Buffy smacked the lighter away.  
  
"What are you doing!?" she demanded.  
  
"Having a smoke," Spike answered.  
  
"You can't do that!" Buffy yelled, "You'll die!"   
  
"Not like I haven't been dead before," he muttered, reaching for his lighter and flicking it on.  
  
"No!" Buffy grabbed the cigarette out of his mouth and broke it in half.  
  
Spike looked down at it, "Why'd you do that?" he asked, "Do you have any idea how much cigarettes cost nowadays?" he asked.  
  
"Well then stop smoking!" Buffy said, glaring at him and looking down at her menu.  
  
Spike glared back, and then his expression softened and he sighed, "Listen to us," he said, "I've been back for a little over and hour and we're already arguing," he said, reaching out to turn her face towards him.  
  
Buffy pulled away, "Do you know what smoking does to you?" she asked, s"It turns your lungs black and gives you cancer. Then you die. And I can't lose you again!" she said, looking away from him and scooting a few inches across the booth.  
  
Spike moved close to her again and wrapped and arm around her, turning her face back up towards him, "If it worries you that much," he said, "I'll quit."  
  
Buffy smiled, "Really?" she asked, "You'll quit smoking for me?"  
  
Spike smirked, "I quit killing people for you," he said, "I think I can quit smoking."  
  
Buffy leaned up and kissed him, "I love you," she said against his lips.  
  
"I know, you told me," he said, between kisses, "Three times now."  
  
Buffy couldn't help but laugh, "You're keeping count?" she asked.  
  
"Uh huh," Spike said, pulling her closer and deepening their kiss.  
  
Buffy set the menu down, and reached her hands around his neck, her fingers playing with his hair. They were just really getting into it, when someone loudly cleared their throat, "Spiacente per interrompere, ma..." the voice said  
  
Buffy broke the kiss and they both turned to see the waiter standing there, holding a small pad of paper with a pencil behind his ear.  
  
"Buffy!" the waiter said when he saw her face.  
  
"Carmine!" Buffy said, "Ciao! Come lei sono?"  
  
"Nessuni reclami," he looked at Spike, "Di chi questo?"  
  
Buffy smiled, "Questo è Spike," she said, "È a. l'a. ..amico del mio."  
  
Carmine raised an eyebrow, "Un amico, uhm? Bene amerei per vedere come lei tratta i suoi ragazzi, poi."  
  
Buffy laughed, and Spike glared at the waiter, automatically going into over-protective mode.  
  
"English, please," he said to Buffy.  
  
Buffy rolled her eyes, and looked back at Carmine.  
  
"Ah...British?" he asked, "I see, well we'll speak in English, so he is comfortable," Carmine said, his Italian accent still thick.  
  
"Yeah," Spike said, still glaring at him, "Thanks."  
  
Buffy kicked Spike under the table, and he turned to glare at her, instead.  
  
Carmine looked between them, "If you don't mind me asking," he said to Buffy, "What happened to The Immortal?"  
  
Buffy's eyes widened.   
  
"Ah, I see," Carmine said, "Forgot about him?"  
  
Buffy nodded, eyes still wide. Spike didn't see what the problem was, he found nothing wrong with forgetting about the Immortal.  
  
Carmine and Spike exchanged glances for a moment before Carmine asked, "Is he the one that you used to come in here and get drunk over?"   
  
Buffy looked over at Spike and nodded, "Yeah, this is him."  
  
Carmine smiled, "Ah. Back from the dead?" he asked.  
  
Buffy laced her fingers with Spike's, "Yup," she said.  
  
Spike couldn't help but smile.  
  
Carmine chuckled and shook his head, "What'll it be then," he asked, pulling the pencil out from behind his ear.  
  
Buffy looked down at the menu briefly, "Just regular pasta, and water," she shrugged.  
  
"That's all?" Carmine asked.  
  
Buffy nodded.  
  
"Okay then," he said, writing it down, "No wonder you're so small," he looked up at Spike, "And you?"  
  
"Whatever she's having," he said, handing the menus to Carmine.  
  
"Okay, two pasta plates, coming up," he turned away from them, winking at Buffy and shoving the pencil behind his ear.  
  
Spike waited until he was out of hearing distance and said, "Who?"  
  
Buffy smiled, "That's Carmine. I saved him from getting eaten about three nights after we got here. Then we got drunk and I explained vampires and slayers to him. Then before you know it I poured my heart out about you and we've been friends ever since."  
  
Spike looked over at where Carmine now stood, "I don't like him," he said bluntly.  
  
"You don't like any of the other men I talk to," she said.  
  
"That's not true," Spike protested.  
  
Buffy raised an eyebrow.  
  
"I don't have a problem with you talking to Andrew! I might not like him, but its not because you talk to him!"  
  
Buffy rolled her eyes, "Yeah, but you don't like Xander, or Riley, or Angel, or--"  
  
Spike cut her off, "Didn't," he corrected.  
  
"What?" Buffy asked.  
  
"_Didn't_ like Angel," he said, looking down at the table, then back up at Buffy, "Angel's dead."  
  
"What?" Buffy said again, "How?"  
  
Spike shrugged, "He got dusted during the fight that made me all...alive again."  
  
Buffy stared at him in disbelief, "What fight? Spike...what the hell has been going on since you've been back?"  
  
Spike sighed and shook his head, "In a nut shell? You were all right about Wolfram and Hart. So Angel decided to attempt to take them down, or something. I guess. We killed a bunch of "very important demons" and, naturally, the senior partners were pissed and decided they'd send a big demon army after us. Illyria and I were the only ones left after wards. At least that I know of," he said, playing with his napkin.  
  
Buffy blinked a few times, letting it all sink in. When it did, she reached out and pulled Spike down to her and kissed him.   
  
"What was that for?" Spike asked.  
  
"You looked like you needed it," Buffy shrugged.  
  
Spike smiled and leaned his forehead against hers, "You're going to want more details later, aren't you?" he asked.  
  
"Uh huh," Buffy nodded, "But not right now. Just like we're not going to talk about the Immortal right now."  
  
"Fine with me," Spike said, lacing his fingers in hers.  
  
"Il suo pasto è servito," Carmine said, sliding two huge plates of pasta onto the table, "Piacere."  
  
"Thanks," Buffy said as he nodded and walked away.  
  
Spike looked down at the food, then back at Buffy, "So what _are _we going to talk about them."  
  
"Absolutely nothing," Buffy said, stabbing her fork into her food, "I figure, if we don't talk, you don't make some smart comment to piss me off. Therefore, we won't fight, and we won't screw up any possibilities for the rest of the night," she said, shoving a forkful of noodles into her mouth.  
  
"And we wouldn't want to do that," Spike said with a sly smile, digging into his own food.  
  
-----  
  
Dawn was sitting and watching television when they came home. The door swung open and they practically fell into the room, still all over each other.   
  
Dawn rolled her eyes and switched the TV off, "And that's my cue to go into my room and turn my stereo up as loud as possible," she said.  
  
Buffy pulled away form Spike and shook her head, "Don't, you'll piss off everyone else in the building."  
  
Dawn shook her head, "The noise from my music will be nothing compared to you two. Trust me, if they don't come knocking at the door to tell you to shut up, they won't complain about the stereo."  
  
Buffy was about to retort when Spike interrupted, "Where's Illyria?"  
  
"In Buffy's room," Dawn answered, "Her and Andrew are playing Xbox. Which I still don't understand, because I've never met a demon god who enjoys video games."  
  
"Its a long story," Spike said, walking down the hall after her.  
  
Buffy followed, their hands still laced. Dawn turned into her room, and seconds later they heard the stereo turn on and the volume being cranked up.  
  
Andrew and Illyria were sitting on the end of Buffy's bed, engrossed in a heated game of Crash Bandicoot. Neither one said anything as Spike walked over to the television, reached down next to the wall, and pulled the plugs.  
  
"Hey!" Andrew whined, "Why'd you do that, you terd?"  
  
Illyria glared at him, "Yes. And what is that horrible noise?" she asked, referring to Dawn's music.  
  
Spike lifted the game system off the television and dropped it into Andrew's arms, "Other room" he pointed out the door, "Now."  
  
Andrew huffed and walked out the door, carrying the Xbox.  
  
Illyria stood, but only to narrow her eyes at Spike, "I refuse to leave until you make that noise stop," she said.  
  
Spike turned and knocked on the wall, "Dawn!" he said.  
  
No answer.  
  
"DAWN!"  
  
The music stopped.  
  
"What?!"  
  
"Headphones," he said simply.  
  
They heard Dawn sigh and start digging through a drawer, "There!" she called back, "Headphones securely in place."  
  
Spike turned back to Illyria, "Happy now?" he asked.  
  
Illyria didn't answer him, just walked out of the room. When she was gone, Spike slammed to door shut, and turned back to Buffy.  
  
"Now," he said, walking over to her, "Where were we?"  
  
Buffy smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him backwards to the bed.   
  
"Right about," she fell down onto it, and Spike fell on top of her, "Here," she said, kissing him.  
  
Spike chuckled and kissed her back, their tongues weaving together. Buffy's hands pushed his duster off his shoulders, and there was a soft 'thud' as it fell down onto the floor. Spike slid his hands up under her shirt and was just about to pull it off when he froze, and stopped kissing her.  
  
"Wait," he muttered.  
  
"What?" Buffy said, "Wait? No. No waiting! Why are we waiting?"   
  
Spike hesitated, "Its just..." he shook his head, "Nothing. Forget it," he leaned in to kiss her again.  
  
"No," Buffy said, "What's wrong?"  
  
Spike shrugged, "Just...promise you won't make fun of me?"  
  
Buffy smiled, "Promise," she said, "Now what's wrong?"  
  
"I just," he paused, "I've never...you know...had sex as all...human," he admitted, "And...I don't know. Its not any...different...is it?" he asked.  
  
Buffy had to bite her tongue not to laugh, "I highly doubt it," she assured.  
  
All of a sudden, she flipped him over and straddled him, "And if you're that concerned," she continued, "I could always be on top," she smiled wickedly and leaned down to kiss him.  
  
"Fine with me, pet."

* * *

A/N - Sorry it took so long to update. Nancy, (my muse) decided to go on strike. But she's back now, I think. Anyways, the translation for the Italian isn't perfect because I got it off that free translation site. But I'm hoping it's close. But yeah, thanks for reading, and don't forget to review!

Also: Blaise - Yeah, I know. I've been having trouble writing Illyria lately. If you, or anyone else for that matter, has any helpful tips, e-mail me! I'll give you cookies!  
  
_seVensIns_


	6. Guests

**Disclaimer** - Blah, blah, blah. See chapter 1  
  
**I Can Feel You Breathe** by **Seven Sins**  
  
Chapter 5 - Guests  
  
Posted: 8.16.04

* * *

Spike lay on top of Buffy, breathing heavily as her hands stroked up and down his sweat covered back.  
"Bloody Hell," he said between breaths.  
  
"Mhm..." Buffy agreed, her fingers running up into his hair.  
Spike lifted his head and kissed her, slowly and passionately, before rolling over and pulling her along with him. Buffy cuddled into his side and they lay there is silence.  
Then, Buffy burst into tears.  
  
Spike looked down at her in alarm, "Oh God, please don't tell me my skills in the sac left with the vamp package," he asked, worried.  
Buffy shook her head, smiling through her tears, "No," she said, sitting up to look at him, "No, you're still as amazing as you've always been," she assured.  
Spike smiled wickedly, "Good," he said, pulling her down for a kiss. But when they pulled back, tears were still streaming down her face. Spike reached his hand up to wipe them away, "What's wrong, pet?" he asked.  
Buffy shook her head, "It's just. You're back and...Angel's dead. And you're human, and I just cheated on the Immortal, and Andrew kept a secret, which is amazing, because he has a huge mouth and he must _really_ be afraid of you. Plus, there's this blue demon thing out in my living room playing video games and..." she stopped to sniffle more, "And it's just so much all at once and I'm so happy and confused and upset all at the same time and it's just so overwhelming and..."  
  
Spike pressed his lips against hers in an attempt to calm her down.  
  
"And...and that helps," she smiled again. Spike smiled back and pulled her down for more. They kissed for almost ten minutes, but to them it seemed like nothing. To them, time had stopped.  
  
Finally, Buffy pulled back and kissed him one last time before sighing and settling back down next to him.  
  
"Better now?" Spike asked.  
  
Buffy nodded, "Think so," she said, draping an arm over his abdomen.  
  
"Want to attempt sleeping?"  
  
Buffy shrugged, "I don't know, if I close my eyes, will you still be here when I open them?" she tipped her head up to look at him.  
  
"Promise," Spike said, "Unless of course I decide to get a shower because I'm all sweaty. Which isn't quite as bad as I thought it would be, but it's still strange."  
  
Buffy shook her head, "Save the showers for morning. Then maybe I can help you wash off all that sweat," she said, seductively.  
  
"All right then," Spike agreed quickly, "No showers 'till morning."  
  
Buffy giggled and laid her head back on his chest, letting her eyes slowly drift shut, "'Night," she whispered.  
  
"G'night, love," Spike said, kissing the top of her head and wrapping an arm around her.  
  
"I love you," Buffy said, her eyes still closed.  
  
Spike smiled. He'd never get tired of hearing that, "Love you too, pet."

* * *

When Spike woke up the next morning, sunlight was pouring in the window and other than himself, the room was completely empty. He groaned and rolled over, staring at the clock on the nightstand. Ten-thirty. Far too early to be awake. But where the hell was Buffy?  
  
He sighed and slid put of bed, looking around the room for his pants. Once he found them, he slipped them on and made his way out into the hall.  
  
He could hear the television in the living room, and the stereo playing some kind of teeny-bobber music in Dawn's room. And then he heard the clatter of pots and pans from the kitchen. He rounded the corner into the room to find Buffy standing over the stove, cooking what he assumed was pancakes. She wore nothing but an oversized T-shirt and a huge smile, and was humming along with Dawn's music.  
  
Silently, he walked over behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. Buffy jumped and dropped her spatula.  
  
Spike buried his face in her hair, "Morning kitten," he said into her ear, "Did I scare you?"  
  
Buffy eased back into his arms, "Maybe," she admitted.  
  
"What about your amazing 'super slayer senses'," he asked.  
  
"Well you're not undead anymore," she said, flipping one of the pancakes, "It's not quite as easy to sense you."  
  
Spike kissed her earlobe and trailed more kisses down her neck before saying, "I still need a shower, you know."  
  
Buffy lifted the pancake up and set it down on a plate next to the stove before spinning around in his arms to face him, "Really?" she asked.  
  
"Uh huh," Spike said as her hands weeved through his hair and pulled him down to kiss her. They're tongues slid against each other's, and Buffy moaned into his mouth, grinding herself against him.  
  
"Geeze, get a room," Dawn's voice said behind them.  
  
Spike turned to glare at her. Dawn sweetly smiled back and reached around them for the plate of pancakes. She carried it other to the table and sat down, lifting one of them onto her plate and smothering it with syrup.  
  
"Oh, pancakes," Andrew said, walking into the room next, with Illyria close behind, "Good morning, lovers!" he said, smiling at Spike and Buffy.  
  
Neither one returned the smile.  
  
"What are these...pancakes," Illyria asked, picking up on of the pancakes between her thumb and index finger and holding it an arm's length away.  
  
Andrew took it from her and set it down on his plate, "Those pancakes, fair goddess, are rounds of dough fried until solid and then covered in syrup," he took a bite, "Want one?"  
  
"No," Illyria said, clearly disgusted.  
  
"Suit yourself," Andrew turned around and sat down at the table next to Dawn, "So what are the plans for today?"  
  
"Showers," Spike answered, "Nice. Long. Showers," he grinned down at Buffy.  
  
"Yeah well," Dawn started, "Hate to break it to you, but they can't be that long. Willow's coming, remember?" she looked at Buffy.  
  
Buffy slapped her forehead, "No, I didn't remember," she said.  
  
"Willow?" Spike asked, "What time?"  
  
"I think she said three," Dawn answered, "Why?"  
  
But Spike had already grabbed Buffy's hand and was dragging her out of the kitchen, "If we start now…" he was saying as he drug her down the hall.  
  
Buffy laughed, "Spike!" she said as he drug her around the corner into her room, "Spi-" he cut her off by pressing his lips against hers and sliding his tongue into her mouth.  
  
"Mmm," Buffy moaned, "Spike!" she pulled away, "What about breakfast?" she asked.  
  
"No time for breakfast!" Spike answered, "We only have." He looked around Buffy at the clock, which now read eleven, "four hours before Willow gets here! That's not much time!"  
  
Buffy opened her mouth to protest, just as his hand slid into her robe. Anything she was going to say was lost to a loud combination of groans, "Spike," she started, "Spike, I have shopping and," she gasped, "And…and cleaning and…Oh God!" her nails dug into his shoulders.  
  
"You were saying?" Spike asked.  
  
"Okay," Buffy said, trying to catch her breath, "Quickie. But that's all…"

* * *

An hour and a half later, Spike emerged from the bedroom, dressed and still grinning. He walked out into the living room to find Andrew and Illyria, once again, playing Xbox. Dawn was sitting in the chair next to the couch, obviously struggling with her homework.  
  
"History sucks!" she yelled suddenly, slamming the book down on the table.  
  
She glared up at Spike.  
  
"What are you studying?" he asked.  
  
"World War II," Dawn huffed, "And I swear to God, if I have to answer one more question abou-" she stopped and looked back at Spike, "Hey," she said, smiling, "I'll give you five bucks if you do my history homework!"  
  
Spike shook his head, "No."  
  
"C'mon!" Dawn whined, "You won't even have to use the book! It'll be easy for you!"  
  
Spike considered this for a moment and then said, "Twenty."  
  
"Fifteen."  
  
"Ten."  
  
"Done."  
  
"No!" Buffy's voice yelled as she came around the corner.  
  
Dawn sighed, "Why not!?"  
  
"Because you're not learning anything if Spike does your homework!" she answered, crossing her arms over her chest, "How're you going to take the test if you don't do any of the homework."  
  
Dawn pouted, "I can look at it when he's finished."  
  
"No," Buffy said, more sternly this time.  
  
Dawn glared at her and slammed the book shut, "Fine."  
  
Spike opened his mouth to say something, but was surprised when all that came out was a sneeze.  
  
Everyone in the room turned to look at him.  
  
"Hey," Andrew said, pointing at him, "You sneezed."  
  
Illyria turned back to the game, "He does it often now," she said, "It is extremely annoying."  
  
Spike was about to retort, when he sneezed again.  
  
Buffy stared at him, looking a bit worried, "Are you okay?" she asked.  
  
Spike rubbed his nose, "Yeah. Fine. Just sneezing. A lot lately," he answered.  
  
Buffy walked over to him and slid her arms around him, "Aw, is the poor baby getting sick?" she cooed.  
  
Spike shook his head, "Doubt it, love," he answered.  
  
At that very moment, the doorbell rang.  
  
Spike, Buffy and Dawn looked between each other.  
  
"It's too early for Willow," Dawn said.  
  
Then, her eyes widened. And she looked back at Buffy, "It could be…"  
  
Buffy let go of Spike and slowly made her way to the door. Andrew paused the game and everyone watched as she slowly reached for the doorknob. She pulled it open to reveal the Immortal, standing in the hallway with a big smile on his face.  
  
He didn't even say hello before pulling Buffy in for a huge hug and kiss. Spike stiffened and took a step forward, but Dawn grabbed his arm.  
  
Once Buffy realized what was going on, she pushed the Immortal back and bit her lip, "Hi," she said.  
  
"Hello," the Immortal said back. He noticed the expression on her face, "What's wrong?"  
  
Spike took the opportunity to wrench his arm away from Dawn and walked up next to Buffy, sliding an arm around her waist, "Well, well, look who it is."  
  
The Immortal's mouth fell open in shock.  
  
"Um," Buffy said, "This is…"  
  
"I know who he is," the Immortal cut her off, composing himself again, "Spike," he said, "It's been a long time."  
  
"Not long enough," Spike said back, tightening his grip on Buffy.  
  
The Immortal smiled sarcastically, "If you don't mind, could you remove your arm from around my girlfriend?" he commanded more than asked.  
  
Spike smiled back, "Girlfriend?" he said, "I don't see anyone around here who's your girlfriend," he looked over his shoulder, "Nope. No one."  
  
The Immortal looked away form him to Buffy, "You've got to be kidding," he said, "You're leaving me for a pathetic vampire?"  
  
"Not a vamp anymore, mate," Spike said, causing the Immortal's face to fall in shock again.  
  
Then he chuckled, "Well that's even worse then. You're leaving me for a mortal?"  
  
Buffy bit her lip and nodded, "Listen, I…"  
  
The Immortal held up a hand to stop her, "No, no. Don't explain," he said, "I'd expect something like that from someone like you."  
  
Buffy's shocked expression faltered, "Someone like me?" she asked.  
  
The Immortal nodded, "You're nothing but a dirty, little who-"  
  
Spike fist made contact with his face before he could even finish his sentence, and the Immortal fell to the ground.  
  
Spike glared down at him, and then looked back at his hand, "Ow," he said, sounding a bit confused, "Ow, that hurts," he shook his hand.  
  
Buffy's hand covered her mouth as she looked between the Immortal and Spike. Quiet laughter could be heard coming from Dawn back in the living room.  
  
The Immortal slowly picked himself up off the ground, "You," he said, pointing to Buffy, "You'll be sorry!"  
  
"Oh, shut up!" Spike said, stepping back into the apartment and slamming the door shut in the Immortal's face.  
  
He turned back to Buffy still shaking his hand, "You okay?" he asked.  
  
Buffy nodded, "Yeah I'm fine. Are you?" she looked down at his hand.  
  
"My hand…punching the daylights out of people. It hurts now," he looked up at Buffy, confused.  
  
Buffy laughed and grabbed his good hand, pulling him into the kitchen. Dawn was just recovering from her giggles, and Andrew sat on the couch, looking upset.  
  
"Penis!" he yelled, "I can't believe I didn't get that on tape! Can you go back and do it again?" he asked Spike.  
  
Spike ignored him and followed Buffy into the kitchen where she was rooting through the freezer for an ice pack, still laughing. She turned around and grabbed the hand he was shaking and set the ice pack down on it, "I can't believe you!" she said.  
  
"Why not?" Spike asked, "You didn't think I was going to let him talk to you like that, did you?"  
  
Buffy smiled up at him, "Thanks."  
  
Spike shrugged, "It was nothing, really. I've been waiting to do that for a while now."  
  
Buffy's smile grew wider and she leaned in to kiss him, careful to keep the ice on his hand.  
  
"Two hours and counting until Willow's arrival!" Dawn's voice called.  
  
Buffy gasped, "I have to clean still!" she said.  
  
Spike rolled his eyes, "Clean what?" he asked as she rushed out of the room.  
  
"This apartment!" she called back, "It's a mess! Dawn! Fold laundry!" she commanded.  
  
Dawn sighed and slid off the chair, pulling the laundry basket over to her.

* * *

Buffy was still cleaning two hours later, while Spike sat on the couch, flipping through the channels. He had kicked Andrew and Illyria off of the television earlier, and was now whispering answers to Dawn as Buffy rushed around the room with a bottle of furniture polish.  
  
"When did the Nazi's bomb London?" Dawn whispered.  
  
"Sometime in the beginning of September in '44. I think," Spike answered, "Or maybe it was '43, I don't remember."  
  
Dawn sighed, "That doesn't help me!" she said.  
  
Spike shrugged and looked back at the TV, only to find Buffy standing right in front of it.  
  
"Oi, slayer!" he said, "I can't see! Move it!"  
  
Buffy glared at him over her shoulder, "I will, as soon as I'm done cleaning the top of it."  
  
Spike rolled his eyes, "Love, the place is clean. You've been at it for hours. If you don't stop, there'll be nothing left."  
  
Buffy glared at him one last time before heading back towards the bedrooms. He smiled, satisfied, and changed the channel.  
  
Then there was a knock on the door. Dawn smiled and jumped up, running to the door and throwing it open, "Willow!" she cried, throwing her arms around the red-haired witch.  
  
"Hey, Dawnie!" Willow said, hugging her, "What's-holey moley!" she jumped when she spotted Spike sitting on the couch, "Spike?!"  
  
"Hey Red," Spike said, flipping the channel, "How're things?"

* * *

**A/N** - Sorry for the lack of updates! I was on vacation. Anyway, yeah, this is short. I wanted to get something up because it's been so long! Don't forget to review! Oh, and if you're bored, check out the Buffy Season 8/Angel Season 6 fanfiction written by myself and 4 other great authors! The link's in my profile!  
  
_seVen sIns_  
  
7sins(dot)bravemusings(dot)com 


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